


You Want Half?

by imaginebughead



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Elementary School, Fluff, Gen, Homophobic Language, Middle School, Minor Violence, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 21:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3355799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginebughead/pseuds/imaginebughead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from aphoenixinwriting: The teacher made the kids pass out Valentine's, An 11 year old Ian receives a Valentine from the grumpy 12 year old in the class who was held back. Ian (misinterprets the intentions) and is instantly smitten. Or do what you want with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Want Half?

When Ian was six years old he bounced into class with the biggest smile on his face. He loved Valentine’s Day and he was so proud because he had made his cards this year all by himself, with only a tiny bit of help from Fiona for the spelling.

When he was told to do so he handed them out to the other students. Practically skipping down the aisles he dropped a Valentine into each student’s bag, passing the smiling students along the way. He stopped suddenly right in front of 7 year old Mickey Milkovich’s plain brown bag. He looked around and saw all the other brightly designed and colorful paper bags then shrugged and dropped one in. He heard a resounding plunk and curiously stood on his tip toes as he peered inside, his brows furrowing.

“Mick, how come you ‘ain’t got any? Other than mine. How come you’re not walkin’ around? Don’t you have cards for everyone else?”

He smiled up at Mickey who was a year or so older than he was. He always followed after Mickey like a little puppy, much to the dismay of his family and Mickey himself. He said it was because he liked Mickey’s eyes; blue was always his favorite color, but really he just felt drawn to the dirty older boy.

Mickey harrumphed with his arms crossed “do I look like I care about getting a fuckin’ Valentine’s card?”

At the exclamation a student passed by and all but ran past Mickey’s desk, not daring to look over his shoulder.

“Oh,” Ian seemed sad “but it’s nice to get stuff from people. Fiona says that it shows they care.”

Ian scuffed the ground with the tips of his sneakers before he came up with an idea. Mickey was still looking at him disinterestedly as Ian reached in his back pocket.

“Here,” reaching up he offered the other boy half of a candy bar, “I – it’s a Snickers, they’re my favorite,” he smiled shyly up at Mickey.

“Listen,” he grabbed Ian’s collar as Ian squeaked, “I don’t want your Snickers bar and I don’t want your stupid Valentine’s Day card,” he reached into his bag and with both hands tore Ian’s card in two.

“These cards are for faggots!” Mickey yelled the words before throwing the torn paper at Ian. Cautiously Mickey looked Ian in the eyes just as the younger boy’s lip started to tremble, he threw the candy bar at Mickey’s feet before turning on his heels and running out the door.

Mickey sat there staring at the empty door the boy had just exited. He picked up the candy bar off the floor and shrugged before eating it. What did he care if that Gallagher kid didn’t like him anymore? He had himself and that was all he’d ever need. And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about red hair and tears falling down a freckled face.

-

Ian ended up running all the way home. Fiona, thankfully, was home sick and was washing dishes before her arms were suddenly full of the little red head.

“Ian, baby what happened?”

“Mickey,” he saw a cloudy look pass over her face, “he said my cards were for fags. But they’re not Fiona; I swear I made them for everyone. I don’t even know what that means! I even offered him my Snickers and he didn’t want it,” Ian wailed and Fiona felt like she didn’t know what to say but she couldn’t very well let this Milkovich make her baby brother cry like this.

“Ian listen to me,” she cooed and he sniffled and looked up at her, “some people don’t know how to show love so they push people far far away so that they can’t get hurt.”

“But that’s dumb,” he exclaimed and she laughed a little and ruffled his red mop.

“Yes it is, but some people aren’t allowed to show love or even joy in the place that they live okay? As great as our family is,” she rolled her eyes discreetly so Ian couldn’t see, “a lot of people don’t have it so good. Now scoot, go take a nap okay? You’ll feel better when you wake up.” Ian sniffed and made his way to the stairs.

“Oh and Ian, I don’t want you ever using that word. It’s like a swear only way way worse.”

His eyes widened for a moment before he gave a small nod. In his room he climbed into his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

The more Ian thought about what Fiona had said the more he wanted to get to know Mickey, to show him that he cared. To show him that even though he might not get it at home that there was joy in the world! He knew it would be hard but it was okay because Ian wasn’t giving up on Mickey that easy.

***

At 11 years old Ian had just finally gotten used to being in middle school by the time Valentine’s Day rolled around. He groaned, Valentine’s Day, what a joke.

Ian’s least favorite day was almost over as he slammed his locker shut. The teachers still thought they were babies and that they had to pass out cards in class like they were fucking children. She tsked at him as she passed his desk and noticed he didn’t even have a paper bag. She could make all the noises she wanted but he refused to pass out anymore Valentine’s cards. He learned that the hard way a few years ago.

“Hey faggot!”

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Ian Gallagher.”

Billy Pascerelli was a menace. Everyone knew to stay away from him and his goons but no matter how much you avoided them they always showed up at the wrong times. Billy was on his third rotation of the seventh grade and made sure that everyone knew he scum.

They had caught Ian on a day that he hated and he was very much not in the mood to deal with their bullshit. Ian looked around for a teacher and sighed when he saw that there were none in sight.

“Billy why don’t you and your guys fuck off, I’m not in the mood.” He stood his ground just like Lip had taught him.

“Oh, a tough guy? What are these?” He snatched the stack of Valentine’s cards out of Ian’s hands; they were from some of his classmates that he hadn’t gotten a chance to throw away yet.

“Awwww, are these from your boyfriend?” Billy lashed out and punched Ian in the stomach. Ian dropped to ground hoping the wheezing noise he made didn’t make him seem too much like a wuss. One of Billy’s goons punched him in the face as he spat out blood.

Someone was holding his head up by his hair, “listen you faggot, you want to spread your legs for your boyfriends or whatever that’s fine but don’t come onto my turf and –”

Billy was on the ground in a flash. All Ian heard was flesh pounding flesh and Billy’s soft cries. Ian was curled in a ball at this point, eyes clenched shut trying to stop the wave of nausea.”

After a moment he squinted up just in time to see the gang run away like their feet was on fire.

“Gallagher? Come on, you’re fine.”

Ian was hoisted up and leaned up against the lockers for support. He blinked a few times before the world came into focus.

Clear blue eyes stared back at him, “Mickey?”

He rolled his eyes “yeah it’s me, Jesus what’d you do to make those fuckers so mad?”

Ian straightened up a bit before gathering the discarded Valentine’s up off the floor.

“I don’t know Mick, exist?” he blew out a sigh, “I guess they don’t like me very much,”

Ian looked at the ground when he was done and scuffed his sneakers against the floor. He could only imagine how pathetic he sounded.

Mickey was studying his best friend who now had a split lip but other than that seemed okay. He heard what those other boys had said before he saw Ian go down, and then he just saw red. No one messed with Ian but him.

Ian wouldn’t fight back or hurt anyone because he was the one who still thought the world was an okay place and not the shit hole that it was. That if you were just nice to everyone they would magically be nice back.

Mickey knew better than that but he’d be damned if he let Ian get hurt by stupid fucking bullies who didn’t quite understand that the smile on Ian’s face meant more to him then their pathetic lives.

Mickey did not like when his friend was sad so he playfully shoved him into the lockers before continuing the conversation.

“Like you care, you uh, you want to go to the movies maybe a little later? There’s that new action flick out you’ve been talking about.” Ian looked up and smiled at him, _jackpot._

“Come on Gallagher I’ll even spring for some popcorn.”

“Yeah, okay see ya Mick.” Ian smiled shyly as he watched Mickey walk away.

Outside it was bitterly cold and he walked fast to get home wanting to wash up before the movies. He put his hands in his pockets as his steps slowed to a halt.

“What the…”

He pulled out a Snickers bar. Ian’s lip twitched around the corners before breaking into an all out grin, Mickey must have slipped it into his pocket when he was helping him up. He smiled and ate the snickers and if his steps were a little lighter that day it was only because he was going to see an awesome movie. No other reason at all.

***

Mickey walked into class the next day and walked very slowly. Avoiding eye contact with the red head at all cost was going to be difficult. Mickey had to make it known that he wasn’t in the market for friends especially not little red headed puppies with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen.

He would have to beat him up or something.

His plans were foiled however because he noticed 6 year old Ian was at the desk next to his smiling up at him like Mickey still made his world complete. “The fuck are you looking at?” Ian just kept on smiling and damn he was irritating.

Right there on Mickey’s desk was not one but three snickers bars and a Mickey Mouse key chain.

“I just want you to know,” a little voice could be heard whispering from beside him, “that you’re my best friend forever and I won’t let you push me away.”

Mickey refused to look the little shit in the eyes and looked down at his desk as if it had pirate’s treasure on it rather than some stolen cracked key chain.

He sat down, finally eying the red head carefully. His lip twitched while he pocketed the key chain before opening up one of the candy bars. In a moment of weakness he broke it into two pieces.

“You want half?”

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](mickeysavesian.tumblr.com)


End file.
